DecemI!ER 24, in09] 



SCIENCE 



911 



The idea of bringing together competent 

 persons to discuss the subject of home (or 

 family) education in its various bearings, and 

 to formulate methods for promoting the phys- 

 ical, intellectual and moral well-being of chil- 

 dren, originated in Belgium, and the First 

 International Congress with this object in 

 view met at Liege in 1903. 



Interest in the movement, meanwhile, be- 

 came wide-spread among educational authori- 

 ties in the different states of Europe, while its 

 importance as a possible means of diminishing 

 criminal tendencies and so preventing crime 

 and other anti-social evils was recognized by 

 the various governments. This growing in- 

 terest was manifested in the Second Interna- 

 tional Congress, convened at Milan in 1906 

 under the patronage of the Italian govern- 

 ment. 



The Third Congress, which is now an- 

 nounced, will extend and define the work 

 already so auspiciously begun. The character 

 and scope of the movement in its present stage 

 of development will be, perhaps, best under- 

 stood by referring to the program issued by 

 the organizing committee of the congress, 

 which has been prepared in the light of the 

 experience gained in the former meetings. 



The congress will consist of five sections : 



Section I — ^The study of childliood. 



Section 2 — The education of cliildren: (a) gen- 

 eral questions; (h) the education of children by 

 their parents in the home; (c) cooperation of the 

 family with the school; (d) education in the home 

 after school. 



Section .3 — Abnormal children. 



Section 4 — Various subjects relating to child- 

 hood. 



Section .5 — Documentation. 



An American committee has been appointed 

 at the request of the Belgian government by 

 Hon. E. E. Brown, United States Conunis- 

 sioner of Education, to stimulate interest in 

 the work of the congress. This committee 

 has organized a number of subcommittees, 

 each representing one of the sections of the 

 congress. An effort will be made to secure a 

 large American representation in the sessions 

 at Brussels. 



Membership in the congress entitles to a 

 copy of the Proceedings. The membership fee 

 is two dollars, and may be sent either to the 

 general secretary, 44 due Rubens, Brussels, or 

 to the secretary of the American committee. 



Administrations, educational bodies and 

 philanthropic societies can take part in the 

 congress and be represented by a delegate. A 

 subscription must be paid for each delegate. 



Those who subscribe not less than ton dol- 

 lars become honorary members. Sub.scriptions 

 of this type are needed to defray the general 

 expenses of the propaganda. 



Papers and discussions may be presented in 

 any of the following languages: French, Ger- 

 man, English, Dutch, Italian and Spanish. 



Americans wishing to participate in the 

 discussions of the congress, or to further its 

 work by becoming members, should communi- 

 cate with the secretary of the American com- 

 mittee, Professor W. C. Bagley, Urbana, HI. 



THE MINING EXPEIflMENT STATION AT 

 THE VNIVEmiTY OF NORTH DAKOTA 



In order to promote the development of the 

 mining and allied manufacturing interests of 

 the state and especially to aid the utilization 

 of the great deposits of lignite coal and the 

 valuable clays, a Mining Experiment Station 

 has been created as a part of the School of 

 Mines at the University of Xorth Dakota and 

 a branch Mining Experiment Sub-station es- 

 tablished at Hebron, North Dakota. 



The work of these two stations will be car- 

 ried on jointly. Certain lines of investigation 

 which require much laboratory equipment and 

 research will be taken up at the School of 

 Mines. When conclusions have been reached 

 here through experimental work in the labora- 

 tory, these conclusions will at once be put to a 

 practical working trial at the testing-out plant 

 of the sub-station. In other words, a large 

 part of the work of the sub-station will be for 

 the purpose of proving in a practical way and 

 on a commercial basis, the conclusions reached 

 in the laboratories. 



In order to provide adequate facilities for 

 carrying on these investigations at the uni- 

 versity, as well as to provide room for the 



